Leprosy Survey in the Republic of Yemen: A Field Study

Leprosy is a chronic infectious and communicable disease caused by "Mycobacterium leproe" an acid -fast rod shaped bacillus. Situation of leprosy in the republic of Yemen between 1999 and 2004 was investigated. At the beginning of the study, the number of leprosy patients who had medical treatment and had been registered in the whole country was 607. In our retrospective study for leprosy patients that attended leprosy clinic of Yemen between 2004 and 2009, we observed gradual decline to only 560 cases in the prevalence rate which is very slightly attributed to the effectiveness of multidrug treatment and-_more awareness by the patients. To justify this situation a field study of the most prominent leprosy loci (Al- Hodaeidah and Taiz) was conducted. Out of 560 newly recorded cases attended the clinics, 300 cases that could be reached easily were chosen to be followed. Skin smear samples were collected from the leprosy lesions of 150 cases from Taiz and 150 cases from Al-Hodaeidah, Clinical and bacteriological study was done. Age distribution of the disease was studied and skin smear leprosy samples were stained using Ziehl- Neelsen technique. The classifications of the 300 cases were as follows: 74 polar lebromatous patients and 76 borderlines tuberculoid patients from Al- Hodaeidah; 68 borderlines and 82 borderline tuberculoid patients from Taiz. This survey has discovered quite a lot of untreated new cases localized in Al- Zuhra, justifying the slightly decrease of the disease and thus, the unsuccessful elimination of leprosy in Yemen. The patients of Al-Zuhra governorate were the leprosy loci. As these patients were not attending the clinic for treatment and thus became source of infection. These results showed that the Yemen Republic was among the misfortunate countries, which did not successfully, eliminated leprosy even having shown efforts and struggle with inherited and persist of health hazard of leprosy.